Experts explained that when blood glucose levels rise, it adheres, leading to its binding and breakdown. This causes loss of skin elasticity, thinning of blood vessels, and nerve damage, according to the Russian Science Foundation.
Scientists from the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg and the I.Ya. Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Yekaterinburg have manufactured compounds capable of inhibiting glucose adherence to proteins. These compounds are multi-ring azahydrocarbon molecules, where several carbon atoms are replaced by nitrogen.
In the same context, Konstantin Savateev, the project leader supported by a grant and Associate Professor at the Scientific, Educational, and Innovative Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies at Ural Federal University, said: “Our compounds are unique because they combine two mechanisms of action; they not only lower glucose levels but also prevent the formation of toxic glycosylated proteins, which are end products of the glycosylation process.”
The researchers tested these compounds on two samples of cow’s milk. Some samples showed inhibition of “glycated” protein formation by more than 70%, which is twice the effectiveness of pyridoxamine.
These new molecules could become the basis for developing treatments for type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and some types of malignant tumors. At this stage, scientists face the task of continuing to work with the obtained molecules, as well as studying their chemical properties to discover new beneficial compounds.
